Netflix is experimenting with ways to stop subscribers from sharing their account details with friends and family.
Some users have reported a warning screen flashing up when they load up the app.
It reads: ‘If you don’t live with the owner of this account, you need your own account to keep watching.’
Once the warning has been given, the viewer is then asked to verify their identity. This happens through an email or text containing a code sent to the number or address registered to the owner’s account.
‘This test is designed to help ensure that people using Netflix accounts are authorised to do so,’ a Netflix spokesperson explained.
The option to ‘verify later’ is also presented, suggesting the text/email will be sent at a later date.
The accounts being used to test this process are seemingly random, and it’s not yet clear if and when it will be rolled out to the UK. At the moment, it’s only limited to TVs running Netflix (not smartphones or tablets) and is in multiple countries.
Password sharing is commonplace when it comes to Netflix as the service – at present – doesn’t place a limit on how many devices you can sign in on. It only limits the amount of devices that can be watched simultaneously depending on your subscription package.
In February, a LendingTree poll suggested that 72% of Netflix subscribers let someone else use their account.
However, the Netflix terms of service, which all users agree to when they sign up for the service, specifically prohibit sharing account details with others.
It states that login information: “may not be shared with individuals beyond your household.”
The streaming giant has previously worked with artificial intelligence to try and catch people who share their account passwords with others.
